To brighten up the Parsi New Year that commenced on August 16, 2021, a color coded Shahenshahi calendar, specially created to appeal to the sensibilities of children was designed by illustrator and animator Delzin Chokey who resides in the San Francisco Bay Area. By designing "a calendar that was easy to read and was color coded to see the month change” she hopes children will be able to learn their mahs and rozs in a fun way.
Admitting that "I do not know when the month changes unless I am reminded,” the young mother of two created the Shahenshahi calendar to make it easier for other parents and children. Within the format of a Gregorian calendar month, the rozs in the square blocks until the 30th day, Aneran, are carried in one color and the rozs beginning the first day, Hormazd, of the following month are shown in a separate color. "It has never been done, why not now?” she thought. Adding a little zest to each page are her illustrations and a short quote that ties up with her chosen theme, ‘wisdom,’ Ahura Mazda being regarded as the God of Wisdom.
Spending nearly a month to execute her calendar design, in her response to queries from Parsiana Choksey wrote, "For a few years now I have been creating art for Zoroastrian children. The feedback and knowledge I gained from that has been highly informative. I also get my hands on any book printed on Zoroastrianism so I may keep furthering my understanding of our religion.” She is most impressed that the Zoroastrian religion "teaches us to take care of all creations and thus make environmental responsibility a part of our lives as well as bow our heads always to the wisdom of good thought, word and deed.”
Keen to see her calendar "get to kids all around the globe and as fast as it could possibly go,” she uploaded her free printable calendar online in July. Humbled by "the overwhelming response” with some reaching out to tell her that "they cannot wait to use it,” and others requesting a print version, it is now available for purchase too on
https://shopping.on-lyne.com/product/parsi-calendar-2021-22-a-fresh-new-look/ "With the love it received, I would like to consider making the Kadmi and Fasli calendars too next year,” she added whilst acknowledging the support of friends and family who helped with proofreading of her maiden calendar.
"Inspired by so many selfless, generous Zarathushtis dedicating their time and effort to further the cause of our religion,” Choksey has been supporting the Federation of Zoroastrian Associations of North America (FEZANA), with their Ava Project (that propels Zoroastrians to take care of the environment) and FIRES (FEZANA Information Research Education System), as also the Zarthushti Anjuman of Northern California and the Zoroastrian Society of Washington State with her creative inputs. "I was (and still am in many ways) brought up by two forward-thinking Zarthoshti parents. They have always let Zoroastrianism be a way of life and behavior, setting examples for their children,” she gives credit to her father Yazdi Tantra, who is chairman of The Zoroastrian Co-operative Bank Limited and global vice president of the World Zarathushti Chamber of Commerce, and mother Thrity¸an educationist.
Having earned her undergraduate degree in commercial art illustration from Sophia Polytechnic in Bombay and her Masters in 3D animation and visual effects from the Academy of Art in San Francisco, Choksey started creating illustrated art specifically for children under her banner Crispy Doodles five years ago. Beginning with drawings she made for her little daughter Zinaya that turned into wall art and coloring activities, she decided "to share these easy, thoughtful activities with more parents, and it led me to start my own online storefront. Soon, those first drawings I made for my little girl came together as a coloring book.” Since then Crispy Doodles has expanded to illustrating children’s picture books, creating customized art and developing activities and printables for personal use and for schools. They have three online storefronts:
https://www.amazon.com/handmade/CrispyDoodles;
https://www.crispydoodles.etsy.com and an exclusive India shop at
https://shopping.onlyne.com/vendors/crispydoodles. On a monthly basis, a percentage of proceeds from all Crispy Doodles sales go to Open Heart Kitchen (that serves meals free of charge to the hungry people of the Tri-Valley area) and Children International (a child sponsorship organization that fights poverty).
Living in the US for the last 13 years, Delzin and husband Shiroy, a software engineer, are parents to six-year-old Zinaya who considers herself "an astronaut living in space” and son Rayzad who is four and "cannot be convinced that he is not a dinosaur… When I am not illustrating or thinking up new activities you can find me running around the park with my kids, baking till I drop or cuddled up and reading (not necessarily in that order),” she stated.